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The Lion Monument goes green for St Patrick’s Day

Press release

20 March 2018

The Lion Monument in Addis Ababa will join over 300 iconic structures around the world which are “going green” for Ireland’s national day, St Patrick’s Day. For the first time, it will be included with landmarks around the world including the Sydney Opera House, the Colloseum in Rome, the London Eye, Niagra Falls and many more, as it is lit up green on 13 March 2018.

The Global Greening is a unique campaign providing an opportunity to showcase the beautiful and iconic structures and monuments across the world, as well as giving a reminder of St Patrick’s Day and global links to Ireland.

Sonja Hyland, Ambassador of Ireland in Ethiopia, said at the launch of the greening of the Lion, ‘I am delighted that, for the fourth year in a row, we have ‘greened’ an iconic monument that is part of Ethiopia’s cultural heritage. The success of the greening initiative in Ethiopia is a testament to the long-standing and warm relationship between Ireland and Ethiopia. We are very grateful to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Addis Ababa City authorities and the National Theatre for their partnership.

Although a small country with a population of just over 4.5m, Ireland attracted over 9m tourists last year. Ireland is also one of the world’s most successful countries in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). With its pro-business environment and young, highly-skilled population, it ranks 1st in the world for inward investment by quality and value.See The Lion goes green for St Patricks Day - Press release 13 March 2018

In previous years, the Embassy of Ireland and their partners have greened the Axum Stellae, an Ethiopian Airbus and the Addis Ababa Light Railway.

Notes to Editors

St Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s national day celebration, takes place on 17 March. For the last 4 years the Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia has supported the greening of iconic structures.

Other events for the St Patrick’s Day celebration in Ethiopia include the St Patrick’s Day Ball which took place in the Sheraton Hotel on 10 March. Attracting 650 guests, it raised hundreds of thousand ETB for local charities.

Ireland opened its Embassy in Ethiopia in 1994. Working with the Ethiopian government and other partners, Ireland invested €30m last year through their development programme, Irish Aid. This is Ireland’s largest development cooperation programme anywhere in the world. The programme focuses on social protection, governance, maternal and child health, nutrition, agriculture and humanitarian assistance.